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Rhugaiya
Rhugaiya, or the Kingdom of Rhugaiya (|:| |’i,,` ,,! |’:,,i,`,), is a collection of large islands within the Magaives: the region officially know as Magairea; under the political control of the house Rashakisha, situated on the northernmost region of the island, Rhugaiya. Rhugaiya itself, as a nation, is 600 years old, and it's power has always been that of the sea, and that of trade. Built on a history of monopolies the royal family of Rhugaiya capitalised on it's position as a gateway from the "barbaric" continent of Dorrok/Nadhall and the develoiping "civilised" lands of Mandari, as well as the dominant naval power with access to the Spice Belt: including the island groups of Bueminos, and to a lesser extent the regions of Bromontinez and Dharda. However, with the emergance of the DSQ, and the later Kingdom of Meshajs, in the stages of trade that Rhugaiya had previously built it's wealth upon, the family and realm found themselves losing the pillar on which they had built their empire. History repeated itself, and would do so again: Rhugaiya's monopoly was gone. Following the gradual, but inevitable, financial shockwave that the DSQ unleashed, Rhugaiya found itself unable to support itself to the same extent that it had with the vast buffer of the lucrative spice trade. The Kingdom of Quastia took advantage of this situation, and the subsequent loss of the Rhugaiyan monopoly on naval power, and thus half bought, half invaded, the Rhugaiyan regions of Bairu and Maigo; as well as procuring a sizeable area of South-Eastern Rhugaiya that cut into the main trade route between the Rhugaiyan capital of Fai-dayu, and the largest city in the Magaives: the Dwarfen metropolis of Raigoshaima -- allowing them to tax all goods passing through the area with impunity. The History of Rhugaiya: Rhugaiya Before the Long War 43 years before the common age, as marked by the foundation of the Kingdom of Rhugaiya (arguably the most influential realm to ever have existed, and to ever have fallen into decline) the war of it’s unification began. Originally the island of Rhugaiya was a fractured series of what we would call Shogunates: princedoms under the feudal domain of mighty ‘Ro’s (|’!i,, -- Rofai). It was not uncommon for two or more Ros to be fighting at any point in time, and wars lasted sometimes as long as a decade. However these were relatively minor affairs of honour, of economics, and of pride, and rarely was a great house totally destroyed or stripped of all power and lands. In these circumstances the combined checks of neighbouring “Rogäfai” (|’!,,`i,, -- Princedoms; sin.Rogä -- |’!,,`), meant that no single Ro grew with so much power as to become a direct challenge to more than one or two neighbours; and whilst these battles were a matter of pride, honour and economics, all Ro understood that a balance of power had been achieved, and must be maintained: even if several Ro cared not for their society, and sought to destroy a house root and stem, many more other Rogäfai would interfere and prevent this shift in what was already a precarious system. This form of government lasted centuries, even millennia (some documents unearthed from archaeological sites hint at such an all-encompassing social structure existing, even in it’s in its infant form, almost two and a half thousand years before the common age) before what came to be known as the Long War, but many current historians argue that such a war was all but inevitable. This is not to say that such conflicts had not existed in the past: indeed, several such past attempts at total unification have been documented in prose and stone carving alike, but no one such social revolution had so much markable success as even the most sceptical scholars attribute to the first stage of the Long War. The History of Rhugaiya: Ro Rashaki Shaylima |'! |'`|`''|. |-'|.|'`|'' Born in the year 361 BCA (Before Common Age), Ro Rashaki Shaylima was the oldest son of the Rashaki house in northern Rhugaiya. Rashaki had, for the last half century, enjoyed a prolonged period of peace and economic growth -- a direct result of Rashaki Shaylima’s father, Ro Rashaki Kalomai. During this time the Rashaki coffers were filled to bursting, and Kalomai undertook a series of public works, investing in infastructure, agriculture, and the family military. From to the influx of goods and increase of prosperity, Ro Rashaki Kalomai devoted his resources and time towards developing good ties with both his underlords (those of two-sound names), and with his other Ros. As a result, at his death in the year 50 BCA, his son, the now Ro Rashaki Shaylima, inherited great wealth, a strong army, and close ties with neighboring factions, as well as a stable base of underlords on which to build his empire. For the first four years (-50 to -46) Ro Rashaki Shaylima spent his time shoring up his Rogä and familiarising himself with the political field on which he sought to play. The years between -46 to the very start of the Long War in -43 were tense ones for Ro Rashaki Shaylima, and much of this time was spent not only preparing his considerable armed forces, but also dealing with a considerable economic downfall, which was a direct result of a war in the south blocking off important trade routes, and a rival Rogä’s production of several luxury goods that the Rashaki region had previously built a monopoly on. In the year -44 Ro Rashaki Shaylima regained a semblance of control, and summoning his armed forces, and those of his underlords, and the promises of his allies, he waited. Many historians have criticised Ro Rashaki Shaylima for his unnatural haste: his ambition that, had he waited, may have added a decade or more onto the length of the Long War, but nonetheless when the opportunity presented itself in the form of a southern famine, he struck his first blows. The years -50 to -20 saw a brilliant series of military conquests: vast battles both on the offencive and the defencive, won decisively, or against all odds, by the brilliant strategic mind of Ro Rashaki Shaylima. Despite the 30-year time period, Ro Rashaki Shaylima failed to capture more than all of the northern, and better part of the South-Western thirds of Rhugaiya itself. This was due to the breakdown of his northern alliances on two separate occasions, held back as he was by the great city of Sho-ma to the South-West. However, at the end of this period, his kingdom was larger than any that had come before. The years between -20 and his death in -18 saw a lull in combat, and for a few years there was a rough peace undershot with tension in the south. The Dwarfen world held it’s breath and waited to see what kind of a man Ro Rashaki Shaylima’s son would be. The History of Rhugaiya: Ro Rashaki Shayraidu |'! |'`|`''|. |-'''i|': (More info to be added later...a lot more...)